Saturday, July 02, 2016
Equity to L.A. 99-Seat Plaintiffs: The Deal’s Off
AMERICAN THEATRE: Actors’ Equity Association announced today that they were unable to resolve a longstanding dispute with plaintiffs in litigation over changes to the L.A. 99-Seat Plan, in the case of Asner vs. Actors’ Equity, and further announced that this is the last year the old plan, which allowed theatres to employ union actors for small stipends, will be in effect for most theatres under 100 seats in L.A. County.
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2 comments:
I'm conflicted. I definitely understand the need to ensure that all union actors are paid a fair living wage, but I also know from working with small theaters how difficult keeping a small operation afloat can be. I also know that particularly for young people like myself, maintaining a life in theater is difficult, and when you aren't paid what you need to live, you may have to resort to any number of alternatives. I have to say though, after thought I am leaning towards the side of the small-house theaters, because I fear that the alternative to the current plan is the shutdown of a lot of these small theaters, and I doubt that either side wants to see that. Also, with the current dispute, I worry that a standstill will be on the horizon with these small theaters. I'm curious to hear about some other opinions.
I'm not sure which side of the case I stand with. Of course I believe actors should be paid at least minimum wage. I believe everyone should be paid at least minimum wage, since even minimum wage in LA is pretty much impossible to live off of. However, requiring theaters under 100 seats to provide actors a living wage is extremely difficult. Between the expenses of renting a space, buying materials, and paying designers/actors/producers, they're not able to sustain themselves with their minimal profits from ticket sales. Requiring all theaters to pay actors minimum wage is morally the correct thing to do, but putting a date on which it needs to be accomplished by can put a huge strain on small theaters. The bill would likely make many small theaters close, which would only make it harder for actors to find jobs, ultimately decreasing the amount of money they're able to make.
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